April 25, 2013

Arlington's bid for library was late, lean

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Unlikely as it seems now, Arlington once bid to host the Bush Center.
In 2005, Arlington's bid was one of the first eliminated in a process that eventually led as most predicted to Laura Bush's alma mater near the Bushes' once-and-future north Dallas home.
Here's reporter Patrick McGee's story from 2006:

Arlington might have had an outdoor 9-11 memorial and an institution supporting infant democracies around the world if the city had been selected as the site for the George W. Bush presidential library and museum.
This vision for the 43rd president's museum is detailed in a video released by Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. It was part of a failed bid for the library the city made last year.
The first round of cuts in October eliminated Arlington along with University of Texas System bids to build the library in either Austin or on the UT-Dallas campus in Richardson.
Still in the running for the multimillion-dollar presidential library and museum are Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the University of Dallas in Irving, Baylor University in Waco and the West Texas Coalition, which is campaigning to get the library built at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Finalists presented their proposals in November to a committee charged with recommending a site. A decision has not been released, and committee representatives could not be reached to comment Tuesday.
Cluck said Arlington's bid committee withheld a portion of the privately produced video that identified a specific site for the presidential library and a 30-page book presented to the White House because it also identifies the privately held site.
Actress Janine Turner narrates the video, which tells of a possible George W. Bush Institute for Peace and Prosperity that would bestow a Hero of Freedom Award. Turner also talks of an outdoor 9-11 memorial featuring all the names of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Turner describes library programs to help fledgling democracies and programs to help teachers to honor first lady Laura Bush's commitment to education. A mock military tent would house exhibits of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, and "fields of peace" would allow youngsters from all over the world to gather and play baseball.
"I think we made a great presentation," Cluck said adding that parts of the video might be used for future economic development presentations.
Arlington's video includes people who are active in the community, such as Jeff Williams, former president of the River Legacy Foundation and dance instructor Persis Forester.
Many of them auditioned for the video, said Kristin Vandergriff, a member of the committee that made Arlington's bid.
Vandergriff said the committee had only two and a half to three weeks to make the video.
Scrambling to get it done, she said, she walked into an Arlington fire station and asked some firefighters to vouch for the city.
"I simply walked over and said, 'Hey would you be interested in helping us?' and they were more than willing to help," she said.
Three of the uniformed firefighters appear on a firetruck bumper talking about how Arlington is a friendly place.
A diverse array of Arlington residents including an Iraqi-American, a Main Street cobbler and schoolchildren also appear, teeming with enthusiasm and promising that Arlington is the perfect place to enshrine the president's letters and legacy.
Turner opens and closes on a leafy walking trail near Ameriquest Field where the Rangers play. The video includes flattering shots of the city, including quaint homes, the Parks at Arlington mall and the University of Texas at Arlington.
Cluck said a little more than $100,000 was raised privately for Arlington's pitch. Vandergriff said Scott Howell & Co. of Dallas produced the video.
Cluck said Arlington could not compete with the $500 million that the 10-city West Texas Coalition said it would spend on the presidential library project.
"We knew we couldn't do that," Cluck said. "It wasn't easy raising $100,000."
The West Texas Coalition's video is the only other video that has been made public.
The coalition's video shows aerial shots of rural landscapes and tells of Texas Tech's ability to archive important documents.